An MLA has criticised the Health Service for spending more than £125m in the last decade at just one private hospital.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll was speaking after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt revealed the figure spent cumulatively by the Department of Health and the Health and Social Care Trusts at Kingsbridge Private Hospital over the last 10 financial years.
Mr Carroll accused the Health Minister of choosing to "funnel money" into private healthcare rather than investing in the Health and Social Care system.
"This extortionate level of spend on just one private company over the course of a decade is symptomatic of a health service in decline," he said.
"Reliance on private healthcare to reduce the North’s unacceptable health waiting lists is a dead end; profiteering companies have a vested interest in the destruction of our health service. The Health Minister, like those before him, is choosing to funnel money into for-profit healthcare, rather than investing in our health and social care system.
"The Minister must commit to ending this stealth privatisation, and expand the capacity of health and social care to properly address waiting lists and give people the care they urgently need."
Responding to Mr Carroll's comments, a Department of Health spokesperson said that the Minister has made clear that there is "no quick fix" for tackling waiting lists.
"Reducing waiting times is one of the most pressing challenges facing the Health and Social Care Sector and the Northern Ireland Executive," they said.
"Delivery of Waiting List Initiative (WLI) activity in the NI health service has routinely involved partnership working with independent sector providers. This has been a long-standing approach to mitigating the gaps between demand for elective care and existing HSC capacity and, given the scale of the backlog of patients waiting, it is expected that this relationship with Independent Sector providers will be required for some time.
"The alternative is to leave patients waiting for longer, many in pain as their conditions worsen. Working with the Independent Sector to tackle waiting lists undoubtedly leads to better outcomes for many patients. This, of course, happens alongside securing additional activity from within our HSC and through longer-term actions to increase HSC capacity.
"The funding in the NI budget for waiting lists and elective care includes some £85m for red-flag/cancer/ time critical treatment. Almost all of this expenditure was already part of the Department plans for the year, as it was in 2024-25.
"The Minister has made it clear that this is no quick fix to tackling our waiting lists it will require additional capacity and activity across the HSC and engagement with the independent sector across a range of specialties. Alongside this will be the need for sustained investment and additional funding."
When approached by Belfast Live, Kingsbridge Private Hospital refused to comment on the story.
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